Method of working metal rods, bars, and the like



J. T. LEECH Filed Feb. 19, 1929 C C C C METHOD OF WORKING METAL RODS, BARS, AND THE LIKE Oct. 28, 1930.

INVENTOR I; M-

Patented Oct.- 28, 1 930 I I aaoonans r LEECH, on BEAVER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR r UNION DRAWN STEEL PATENT OFFICE COMPANY A COBIEORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA mnrnon OEQWORKINGY METAL nons, BARS, AND. THE-LIKE ApplicationfiledjFebruary19,1929; Serial No. 341,171.

' This invention relates: to metal working and, more particularly to a method of mak ing finished rounds, squares, hexes and other,

sections such-as those now madeby cold work- 5 ing methods and an object of this invention is to provide a newand-improved method of making this class of products. I

A further. object is to provide anew and improved method of continuous cold working in the conversion of hot rolled stock into products of this class.

' the class of products involved in this invention it is,necessary to'have the surface finish as'nearly. perfect aspossible, and for. this reason, it has been customary to thor oughly pickle the hot rolled stock prior to the cold drawing operations. In order to obtain stock with the desired surface, that .is, one free from scale, pits, seams or other defects, machining of the stock has also been -resorted to for removal of the scale, pits. seams and other defects. a Such machining, of course, is expensive and interferes with continuous operations. A further object of this. invention is to provide a method which will render the pickling of the stock unnecessary and whichwhile it obtains the results of machining, may be utilized as a step in a continuous process from the hot rolled starting piece to the'die finished products. 5

A still further object of this invention is to provide a method by means of which sections such as those now made by cold draw-' ing operations may be rapidly produced with a minimum of labor and handling and therefore, at a relatively low cost. 1 W 9 These, as wellas other objects, which will be apparent to those skilled in this particular art I attain by means of the method described in the specification and schematically illustrated in the single sheet of drawings accompanying and forming part of this application. 1 v

Figure 1 of the drawings schematically illustrates a combination of devices which may be utilized in carrying out the method ofj this invention; Figs. 2,3 and 4 are detail. views of portions of some of the devices of the combined apparatus of Fig. 1 and Fig. 5

is a more orless diagrammatic view made to illustrate the successive steps of my continuous method.

In a broad. Way, the method consists in cold reducing hot rolled stock in a series of steps in which thestock is first knurled to break up the scaled surface, is then broached ft'oreinove the broken scale and other defects such as pits, seams or the like, is then cold roll reduced to approximately the size of the finished section and is then die finished.-

I start with what I term hot rolled stock I and "the section of the stock will of course depend upon the section of the finished product.

This stock which may be used in any lengths desired, is pushed or propelled through the different zones of action which consistin certain machining and reducing devices arranged in tandem and adapted to simultaneously operate on the stock.

'A pushing or propelling mechanism must be chosen'which will have suflicient power to pushthe stock through the various devices at the desired speed;

-By utilizing a pushing mechanism, I am able to feed the stock to the tandemly arranged devices in a'continuous manner and without interruption between different pieces. I am also able to cause the stock to drive the eration as simple to operate as'a single'stage operation since synchronizatlon of the stages 1s automat cally obtained.

'i In the first stage, the surface on the stock is cracked and otherwise broken up by being continuously knurled, the second stage is a 1 devices thereby makinga multiple stage 0p- 1 forced through finishing die which reduces the stock to accurate dimensions and provides the same with the desired surface finish.

The drawings illustrate one form of mechanism which may be employed in carrying out my improved method. As illustrated, the hot rolled stock is engaged by a suitable pushing mechanism 10 which may be of any desired form, but which is preferably constructed in accordance with the mechanism described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 341,172, filed February 19, 1929. This pusher mechanism engages the stock 11, see Fig. 5, (for the purpose of this application I have shown stock of circular cross section) and forces it through a pair of corrugating rolls 12 which form corrugations 13 on the surface thereof extending in one direction, and a second pair of corrugating rolls 14: which corrugate the surface in the opposite direction to form a knurled surface 15 thereon. This knurling effectively cracks the surface of the stock and the broken scale, pits, seams and other defects are removed by forcing the stock through successive broaching dies 16 and 17, the first die 16 cutting or fluting the bar to form the ribbed surface 18 and the second die 17 removing the intermediate, uncut portions and forming the round bar 19 which is subsequently reduced cold by forcing it through successive cold roll passes formed by a series of alternately arranged pairs of cold rolls, horizontal rolls 20 and Vertical rolls. The stock after being reduced to substantially finished size by the cold roll passes is forced through a die 22 which sizes and finishes it into the finished rod 23. M

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The method which consists in roughening the surface of a hot rolled starting piece, in machining the roughened surface and then in continuously propelling the starting piece through successive cold roll reducing passes and a finishing die.

2. The method which consists in carrying on on a. continuously moving starting piece the following steps and in the following sequence, removing surface defects, cold rol reducing and die reducing to size.

3. The method which consists in carrying on on a continuously moving starting piece the following steps and in the following sequence, roughening the starting piece, machining the surface, cold roll reducing and (lie reducing to size.

4. The method which consists in carrying on on a continuously moving starting piece the following steps and in the following sequence, knurling the starting piece and roughing off the knurled surface, cold roll reducing and die reducing to size.

'5. The method which consists in producmg a starting piece by hotrolling, in causing the starting piece to continuously move longitudinally by pushing the same and in carrying on on the moving starting piece the following steps and in the following sequence, knurling the starting piece to roughen the surface, broaching to remove the roughened surface, cold roll reducing after broaching and reducing to size through a die after cold rolling.

' 6. The method of finishing metal bars after hot rolling which consists in roughing the surface, machining said surface and pushing the cleaned bars through cold roll passes wherein the bars drive the pass rolls.

7. The method of finishing metal bars after hot rolling which consists in cracking the surface, machinin said surface and reducing the cleaned bar y pushing it through successive cold roll passes whereinthe bars drive the pass rolls.

in testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 15th day of February,

JACOB TEST LEECH. 

